The sound of my ice skates gliding across the rink, scraping the surface as I twirled and twirled into a dizzying nirvana. The cold Minnesota air stinging my cheeks, and threating to penetrate my armor of scarves, mittens, and double-socked feet. The sweet, warm taste of hot cocoa with marshmallows that my Mom made for me when I’d come home. As a kid, winter was a magical time.

Fast forward to today and, let’s face it, life just isn’t as rosy as we remember it as kids at the skating rink. Life as a grad student is a lot of work. Making any sort of magic happen requires some intentional effort.

I asked an OSU grad student, “What would a magical winter look like to you?”

And this is what I heard:

• Snowboarding
• Exploring Oregon
• Getting a lot of writing done
• Connecting with friends and family
• Netflix binging
• Grabbing a beer with my advisor
• Reading for pleasure
• Lying on a beach in Mexico

Does any of this sound good to you, too? What if grad students gave themselves permission to reclaim their winter magic? Sure, work hard. Write an awesome thesis/dissertation. But allow yourself time for fun, too. Think about it…

And in the meantime, the Grad Student Success Center (GSSC) will soon unveil a series of workshops and events for winter term, that can help put a little magic into your winter. From Writing Workshops to an Explore Oregon Trip, to Grad Career Day and The PhD Movie 2 (and more!), we’re looking forward to helping make your winter dreams come true. The GSSC Event Calendar will be updated soon – tell us what you’re wishing for!

Karen Hanson
Graduate Student Success Coordinator